On a scale of “bold,” the Burnaby Lakers’ move Monday was the equivalent to Spinal Tap’s “11.”
With a balanced roster already on paper, the Burnaby Lakers made huge noise prior to the Western Lacrosse Association 2017 draft by acquiring the playing rights to National Lacrosse League star Mark Matthews and defender Nik
Bilic from Langley.
The deal puts the club in uncharted, but potentially enriched waters, with the cost being the fourth and 11th picks in yesterday’s (past the NOW’s deadline) draft of graduating junior players, plus their first round pick in 2018.
“This is a move for now, as last year we made a lot of adjustments and the ones we’re making this year are looking at the window for winning,” said Lakers general manager Paul Rowbotham. “This is the time for us to go for (a Mann Cup), as we figure our window is going to get smaller in the coming years.”
In discussions with both players, Rowbotham said they are onboard with joining the Lakers for 2017, with only an official release in the transfer of Matthews’ playing rights from Ontario Major League’s Brooklin to complete the agreement.
“The deal was fairly simple, but it all depended upon knowing what (Matthews) was open to, and the fact is Matthews is coming,” he said.
“If we didn’t get that (commitment), we couldn’t afford the cost of what we were giving away.”
With the two-time defending NLL champion Saskatchewan Rush, Matthews is a powerhouse forward who has Joe Thorton-like combination of skills and size. He sits second in league scoring with 17 goals and 29 assists in six games, playing alongside the Lakers’ Robert Church and Bilic.
At six-foot-five and 230 pounds, Matthews brings a formidable presence that will mesh well with the Lakers’ offence, which already boasts Scott Jones, Josh Byrne, Dane Stevens, Eli McLaughlin, Tyler Digby and Jason Jones.
Bilic, a Burnaby native, is a strong player off the ball and someone whom the Lakers have coveted since junior.
“(Bilic) plays transition, runs the ball, stops the ball and gets it up the floor. He’s a strong player in his own right,” said Rowbotham.
The deal was a case of perseverance on the part of Burnaby, having engaged Langley in talks over the past three seasons.
“This has been on-and-off, on-and-off for a number of years,” said Rowbotham. “There seemed always to be some little thing that took it off the table, but this time it all worked out.”
At 27, Matthews is still in his prime and brings championship experience, including a pair of Minto Cup rings (with Coquitlam and Whitby), two NLL titles and was a member of Canada’s 2015 world indoor champions.
In his one season in the WLA, Matthews led Langley to the league final.
“What you have is someone’s who is a great player, who’s a leader and brings lots of experience. He has an aura that will help attract (other) players.”
Rowbotham said the Oshawa, Ont. native will be relocating to the west coast and joining the team likely in June, sometime after the NLL season wraps up.
“I’m not someone who likes taking risks, but this was one our executive was 100 per cent behind. There is a cost involved, but we feel that with the calibre of players we have, we had to go for it,” noted Burnaby’s GM.
He remarked how, while this move ups the stakes in terms of the Lakers’ chances in 2017, other teams have also been adding to their arsenal.
New West has brought home power forward Kevin Crowley, while Victoria picked up one-time Laker Casey Jackson from Nanaimo.
The Lakers open the 2017 WLA season on May 26 in Victoria. Their home opener is June 2 against Nanaimo.
